The Microsoft Partner Network

Choice is important, but so is the right advice

With Microsoft you get the best of both worlds. As well as being able to choose the software package that’s right for your business, there are plenty of experts who can explain the best options for your business and then help you select the best one.

These Microsoft Partners include small and medium business specialists, who can quickly assess your business goals and identify the package that matches your needs.

Why work with a Microsoft Competency Partner?

A Microsoft competency reflects a partner’s expertise and business focus in the marketplace, but it also enhances their ability to better serve customers like you. Whether it’s by standardising or advancing your IT infrastructure, or helping you realise more business value from your IT investments, Microsoft competency partners really can help your business reach its fullest potential.

Select an area of focus below to see what requirements a Microsoft partner must meet in order to achieve their competency:

Application Platform

Application Integration

These partners specialise in integrated solutions that connect critical business information, enabling your organisation to be more nimble. They’re experts in building solutions around Microsoft BizTalk Server, Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services and Microsoft .NET.

Application Lifecycle Management

These partners are experts at deploying and providing training and consultation for Microsoft Visual Studio development system software, including Microsoft Visual Studio Ultimate.

Business Intelligence

These partners are pros at delivering solutions that integrate with the technology you already have to provide business insight to everyone in your organisation—at a lower total cost of ownership.

Data Platform

These partners can help you to do more with less by developing database applications and solutions based on Microsoft technology, including Microsoft SQL Server data management software.

Application Development

Whether they provide commercial or custom-developed solutions, build business applications, or create advanced web portals or rich client user interfaces that run on premises or in the cloud, partners with this competency are trusted experts in the Windows Server and Windows 8 operating systems, the Windows Azure platform, Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 development system, and emerging cloud-based and web business models.

Business Productivity

Communications

The Communications competency recognises a partner’s expertise in implementation design, deployment and support of Microsoft Lync. The Silver Communications competency shows capabilities around IM/Presence and Conferencing and the Gold Communications competency demonstrates further expertise in enterprise voice and video, PBX integration and Lync Online. This competency was formerly an aspect of the Unified Communications competency.

Project and Portfolio Management

A flexible, efficient, easy-to-use project management tool can increase business productivity while trimming overhead costs. Partners with this speciality are experts in developing and implementing robust enterprise project management (EPM) solutions based on Microsoft Project software.

Messaging

The Messaging competency recognises a partner’s expertise in implementation design, deployment and support of Microsoft Exchange Server. In addition, the Gold Messaging competency highlights specialisation in archiving, security and voicemail, as well as helping customers with their journey to the cloud to Exchange Online. This competency was formerly an aspect of the Unified Communications competency.

Collaboration and Content

Core infrastructure

Identity and Access

Partners with this competency can help you build a solution that protects corporate information across data center and cloud. You can be confident that by working with an Identity and Access competency partner that they have the know-how, training, and support to enable secure access to corporate applications and data from any location and any device, while ensuring unauthorised users are prevented from accessing sensitive information.

Server Platform

Partners with this competency are experts in designing, building, deploying and supporting the Windows Server operating system, Windows Server–based applications and the Microsoft server infrastructure. They can help you meet a variety of IT goals, from reducing infrastructure costs to improving your disaster recovery system.

Devices and Deployment

Partners with this competency are leaders in selling, deploying and supporting the Windows operating system, including delivering services and solutions for the Windows 8 operating system, and Microsoft Office suites.

Management and Virtualisation

Partners with this competency are able to deliver solutions, based on Microsoft Hyper-V technology and Microsoft System Center, that help drive the evolution to private cloud.

CRM and ERP

Customer Relationship Management

Partners with this speciality are proficient in building and deploying business management solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics CRM and related applications, including the Microsoft Office suites, Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server.

Enterprise Resource Planning

Partners with this competency develop Microsoft Dynamics business management solutions. They have the skills, expertise and resources to deploy financial and supply chain management solutions to address your critical business priorities.

Cross Platform Solutions

Digital Marketing

These partners have proven online marketing expertise in Bing Ads and the Yahoo! Bing Network, allowing them to create solutions that are highly functional, flexible, and easy to use.

Distributor

These partners lead in sales and licensing expertise in helping Microsoft reseller partners configure even the most complicated licensing solutions for their customers.

Hosting

These experts can help you to offset the cost of maintaining critical business applications by hosting IT services and applications for you. They maintain their own data centres or act as a reseller or agency of services hosted by Microsoft.

Learning

Partners with this speciality have proven themselves leaders in providing software and technology training programs to Microsoft customers. They have access to Official Microsoft Learning Products and services, and they offer courses in a variety of formats—from instructor-led classroom training to online tutorials.

Mobility

Mobile solutions are critical in today’s decentralised workforce. Partners with this competency are experts in providing innovative mobile solutions that seamlessly integrate with your current IT infrastructures and enable your business to operate more efficiently.

OEM

These partners are industry leaders in designing, manufacturing, assembling or reselling quality hardware solutions optimised for the Microsoft platform.

Software Asset Management

A comprehensive software asset management strategy can help you to significantly reduce the total cost of software ownership and improve operational efficiency. Partners with this area of expertise offer software asset and licence management services to organisations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises.

Volume Licencing

Acquiring and managing software licences can be complex and daunting. To simplify the process, these partners offer Microsoft Volume Licensing solutions and services. Not only can they help with your licensing decisions, they can help you get the most return on your IT investments.

SMB Customers

Small Business

These partners are experts in helping small businesses get the most from their IT investments, providing high grade, robust solutions at low cost.

Small Business Specialist

Partners with this badge have proven expertise in building, customising, deploying and supporting IT solutions for small businesses. They have an intimate understanding of small business processes, infrastructure needs and future growth expenses.

Midmarket Solution Provider

These partners are experts in providing solutions based on the most current technology to help midmarket businesses meet their unique challenges. They have a deep understanding of midmarket business processes, infrastructure needs and future growth costs.

Requirements

Represent partners who have consistent capability and solid expertise within a specific Microsoft solution area.

Partners must have two individuals associated to their company who pass various exams, have three customer references for their solution area, and most competencies require one individual to pass a licensing assessment and one individual to pass a sales assessment.

Partners must have four “unique” individuals associated to their company who hold certifications and are not associated with any other gold competency, have five customer references for their solution area, participate in a yearly customer satisfaction survey, agree to a minimum revenue commitment and most competencies require one individual to pass a licensing assessment and two individuals to pass a sales assessment.